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Qatar urges unity to fight terrorism

Shaikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, Qatar's foreign minister, has called on Gulf Cooperation Countries to do more in their fight against terrorism-tainted extremism.

04 Dec 2005 10:18 GMT

Shaikh Hamad: Gulf security the responsibility of its nationals

Addressing the second session of the Gulf Security Dialogue forum in Bahrain on Saturday, Shaikh Hamad, also the first deputy prime minister, said: "GCC countries, which have generally scored successes on the security level ... may still have a long way to go."

These countries, he said, had to take into account the delicate regional and international balance on the one hand and the internal security front on the other.

He noted that "energy security, for instance, cannot be viewed in isolation of an overall security strategy".

Globalisation

"One cannot overlook the fact that the Arabian Gulf is the passageway for about half the global oil output," the minister said, adding that such a fact made Gulf security a vital interest to other countries, especially the United States.

"The concept of security should not, therefore, be viewed from a purely regional perspective, because such a perspective would never give the right picture"

Shaikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, Qatari Foreign Minister

Gulf security should be the responsibility of its nationals and would depend on mutual confidence-building and self-reliance, he said.

"In reality, however, the international challenges and developments can hardly be overlooked, while globalisation is broadening its scope to cover various economic, financial, social, cultural and political patterns," Shaikh Hamad said.

Increasingly, he said, globalisation is becoming "a matter of fact and a 'de facto' that we have to acknowledge and deal with".

"The concept of security should not, therefore, be viewed from a purely regional perspective, because such a perspective would never give the right picture."